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Does Blogging Make You Braver?

"Does blogging make you braver?" John asked me last night, after I had called him from a parking lot to ask him to go get money from an ATM.

A few minutes before the phone call, I had been waiting for a traffic light to turn green, when I noticed the guy in the car next to me was motioning me to roll down my window. I complied."Excuse me. I noticed you have a dent in your rear bumper. I could give you a quote that is much less than a body shop's.""Do you have a website?""Yes.* But if you have a few minutes, while I'm in the area, I could repair the dent for $___. You wouldn't pay until it is done and you are satisfied."Sounds like a scam, right? I'm not one to be sold things in that manner, and yet, I found myself saying OK. I pulled into a parking lot, but before I let him start his work, I told him I wanted to check with my husband. I called John, told him where I was and what I was doing, and asked him to pick up some cash from the ATM and meet me in the parking lot.He said, "Okaaaay." John probably thought I had lost my mind. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? I couldn't believe it myself that I was actually allowing somebody to use a heat gun and rubber mallet on my car. "If you ever get another dent like this and you don't want to pay anyone to fix it, you could just do this yourself.""Oh, yeah. Like that's going to happen."(Of course, now that I've seen him make it look so easy, I am almost tempted to try it myself.) He fixed the dent, and also removed oxidation from my headlights, before John arrived from the ATM. John handed over the money and we all went on our way.

Photo: My now undented, though still dirty, car

When we got home, John asked, "So, do you think blogging makes you braver? I mean, were you thinking, 'Well, at least I'll have a blog post?'" (It's not easy to capture mood in writing, but John was not upset when he asked me this; he was truly just curious.) "Quite frankly, in this particular circumstance, I hadn't even thought about a blog post, but now that you mention it. . . ."

If you are a blogger, do you think blogging has made you braver?*I can't remember the website today, but you can find him on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/on_spot_auto_body/.

Thanks for adventures that work out.

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Comments

Perhaps you were receptive to the Spirit, which if this man meant harm would have given you an unsettled and fearful feeling. I don't know if blogging makes us more brave, but all the bad news we hear and read can make us overly suspicious. I really believe that most people are good and not out to harm or scam us. So glad you had a good experience!

First reaction is to think you are crazy for doing such a thing. But then I remember that last year I also did something similar. Actually worse on the danger spectrum. I pulled my car over and picked up a hitchhiker. With one of my kids in the car. I don't know why I even considered it. Before I knew it I was on the side of the road. We were headed the same place he wanted to go almost 2 hours away. I told him I'd take him as long as he behaved himself. Like that would deter someone who meant to do me harm. But, all was well. He was kind, and we chatted the entire way.Glad it all worked out for you and the car was fixed!

Whew, the possibilities to that scenario scared me! I am glad you ended up safe and dent-free. I'm thinking he should just hand out business cards where you could call him to arrange for dent removal. I don't think blogging has made me any braver, but I do know that my husband and I often laugh when something unusual or humorous is happening, commenting that it's a blog post in the making! It's fun to watch life provide the material for our creative endeavors.

1. I'm thankful for cooperative return policies. Several weeks ago, I mentioned that I had to return a range that I had purchased, and I hoped that the particular range was just a lemon and that the replacement wouldn't have the same problem. Well, unfortunately, it did. On the bright side, the store quickly picked up the second range and refunded my money. I'm putting appliance purchases on the back burner (!) for the moment.

2. I'm thankful for temples. I went one morning this week to the temple. I'm always amazed at how much insight comes in just an hour or two of reflection.

3. I'm thankful for my sister. She and her family came to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with her in-laws, and I got a chance to see her and her family on Wednesday. The last time I saw her was in January at our grandma's 100th birthday celebration. We feel lucky to have two visits in one year!

Me in a Nutshell

In the summer of 2018, after 29 years of raising children, my husband and I (as he puts it) "finally grew up and moved out on our own." I loved those years, but I also love the empty-nest adventure. No matter what your stage of life, I invite you to join me in living life with a thankful heart.